Bend It Like Beckham sequel planned more than 20 years after first film

• Director Gurinder Chadha OBE has announced that a follow-up to her hit film Bend It Like Beckham is currently in development.
• Chadha revealed she has finally found a "fantastic story" for the sequel after 23 years of searching, inspired by the significant growth of women's football.
• The new project is targeting a 2027 release, which will coincide with the original film's 25th anniversary and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
• Chadha hopes to reunite the original cast, including Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, and has enlisted US women’s national team manager Emma Hayes to collaborate on the script.
• The original 2002 film, made on a budget of £3.5 million, grossed almost £60 million worldwide and is widely credited with inspiring a generation of female footballers.

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Bend It Like Beckham sequel in works more than 20 years after first film